96 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of the pitchers of Dischidia, but reference is made to them in 

 the paper on Cephalotus already mentioned. 



With regard to the history of the remaining genera, Heli- 

 amphora, discovered by R. Schomburgk in British Guiana, was 

 described by Bentham(" Trans. Linn. Soc") in 1841: Darlingtonia, 

 discovered in California, by Brackenridge in 1842, was named 

 and described by Torrey (" Smithsonian Contributions," vi.) in 

 1854 ; and Genlisea was discovered in Brazil by St. Hilaire 

 (" Ann. d. sci. Nat." ser. ii., tome ii., 1839). 



After this brief historical sketch of the discovery and determi- 

 nation of the genera, we pass to the consideration of the various 

 theories which have at different times been propounded as to the 

 use of the pitchers. Such views were naturally expressed first 

 with regard to Sarracenia. The fact which seemed especially to 

 call for explanation was the presence of watery liquid in the 

 pitchers. Thus Catesby says ("Nat. Hist, of Carolina," ii. 1754) 

 — " The hollows of these leaves always retain some water, and 

 seem to serve as an asylum or secure retreat for numerous 

 insects, from frogs and other animals which feed on them." 

 Linnaeus, in his " Systema Naturae " (Ed. xiii. ii. p. 361, Vindob., 

 1770), regards the pitchers as reservoirs of water for the needs 

 of the plant, which he considers to resemble the Nymphaeas: 

 " Sic metamorphosis folii Nymphaeae in folium Sarraceniae, ut 

 ipsa aquam pluvialem excipiens et retinens extra aquas crescat : 

 mira naturae providentia ! " But unfortunately he gave up this 

 comparatively rational view for the idea that the object of the 

 pitchers was to supply thirsty birds with water : — "Folium S. 

 purpura in Spec. Plantarum descriptum, aquam praebet sitien- 

 tibus aviculis " ("Prselect. in Ord. Nat. Plant.," Ed. Giseke, 1792, 

 p. 316). Possibly Linnaeus' earlier and more reasonable conjec- 

 ture may have been suggested to him by Peter Collinson 

 on sending him some specimens of Sarracenia, with a letter 

 (quoted by Smith, "Correspondence of Linnaeus"), dated from 

 Loudon, Sept. 17, 1765, in which he says: — "As you so justly 

 admire the Sarracenia as one of the wonders of the vegetable 

 kingdom, that you may have a more perfect idea of the wonderful 

 reservoirs which retain the water to supply the plant in great 

 droughts, I send you two leaves." In a postscript to this letter, 

 Collinson first draws attention to the presence of insects in the 

 pitchers. He says : — " Many leaves grow round the centre bud of 



